By Dorothy Gottfredson

Author’s 3-year-old skiing for the first time at Snow Summit

It’s winter time! Yes, even here in sunny San Diego, where many of us seek out the snow. In fact, many Southern California families are probably looking to get their kids on skis at some point before the season ends. Snow recreation isn’t a way of life in Southern California. Even with snowy mountains a short driving distance for many families, the winter season just doesn’t last long enough. So for parents living here, I’ve compiled what I learned these past two ski seasons about ski schools.

Two Ski Resorts at Big Bear

This is our second year as parents taking our kids skiing. Two winter seasons doesn’t seem like a lot of skiing, but for SoCal families it adds up to be a lot of experience! With two seasons of skiing under our kids’ belts, I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries about ski lessons. Both years we took them to Big Bear Mountain (the best known area for snow recreation in Southern California). Big Bear has two popular ski resorts, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. We have tried both!

Kids getting ready to ski at Bear Mountain.

Similarities

After skiing both resorts, we found Snow Summit and Bear Mountain to be similar in many ways. The price on ski packages and options are fairly close. Their schools and private lessons are run the same way. There is also not much difference between the slope quality and skiing areas between the two. Both resorts are situated next to each other, right in the heart of Big Bear. In fact, if your vacation time allowed it, you could ski at both resorts without giving more effort to one over the other.

Differences

Author’s daughter and her ski instructor going up the ski lift.

There are small distinctions between the two resorts. They are minimal but can make a big difference depending on what you are looking for. I personally liked the set-up for the younger kids, aged 4-7, at Bear Mountain. The kids’ area there is located in a more remote area when compared to Snow Summit. My kids are 5 and 3 years old, and for safety reasons, it was more appealing to me that they were farther away from bigger kids – and bigger people in general. There is another advantage of going to Bear Mountain. If you’re interested in your child going to ski school rather than private lessons, Bear Mountain’s ski school allows for kids as young as 3 years old. You must be at least 4 years old to attend ski school at Snow Summit. (Private lessons are available for all ages at either resort). In turn, unlike its sister resort, Snow Summit offers a family park area. This is an area designed for low to intermediate skiing, smaller bumps and jump variations, so the entire family can ski together in close proximity.

Ready To Ski

After research and finally deciding where and how our kids were going to take ski lessons, there were still many things we didn’t quite get the first year we went. Both my husband and I had very little experience as parents wanting to teach our kids how to ski. Many of our questions were answered only through trial and error.

The kids’ zone at Bear Mountain resort.

Here are a few helpful skiing tips we’ve learned:

• Ski gear is expensive. Borrow hand-me-downs or save old ones, if possible. If you can look into a consignment store, Craigslist or garage sales beforehand – do so!
• Sunblock, gloves, goggles, helmet. Not usually a requirement for skiing, but I highly recommend these.
• There is a period of time during the winter, as well as weekends and holidays, that Big Bear considers the ‘peak season’. If you decide to ski during these days your lodging, ski packages, etc., will be at a slightly higher cost. Contact the resorts to find out when peak season occurs and book accordingly.
• To avoid the huge resort crowds, choose a weekday (NOT a weekend) to ski.
• Once you have chosen the day(s) you’re going to ski, make reservations. Ski schools and private lessons get booked quickly, especially during peak season.
• Show up at least 1 – 1.5 hours ahead of your scheduled lesson. Registering, renting ski gear, putting gear on, going to the locker rooms, using the bathroom and walking to your designated lesson spot takes A LONG TIME. It’s even more challenging when your kids are really young and you have to carry all their equipment for them.
• Your kids will most likely want to ski some more after their lessons. I recommend choosing reservations for earlier in the day. Skiing during the later half of the day can take you into the night and into colder conditions.

Have fun and stay safe! You can never be too SoCal to learn a snow sport!

About the Author
I’m a wife to a comedic husband, a stay-home mom of 2 rambunctious girls, and a college student in my 30′s. I feel lucky to be raising my kids in the same city I grew up in… San Diego! Our days as a family are often filled with many surprises. I write about it ALL at www.PowderRoomPlayground.com.

All images ©2011-2013 by Dorothy Gottfredson.

By Loretta Saladino

Something just feels right about a tree. To our family a sapling represents hope and gifts for future generation. A young fruit tree becomes an instant giving friend to my two kids. A massive live coast oak holds a mystery of wisdom and endurance. So it doesn’t surprise me that birds and bees and maybe even a curious bear can find food, shelter and a little mischief in a tree too.

I had the pleasure of reviewing The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes and Illustrated by Kathleen Rieetz. I could tell in an instant that this was going to be a book for my kids to learn from and enjoy. Told in the same repetition style as the classic, The House That Jack Built, The Tree That Bear Climbed delightedly entertained my son and daughter with it’s rhythmic prose.

It is the perfect book to introduce the parts of tree, learn about where a tree gets nourishment, how the tree attracts bees, and how the bee’s hive attracts a curious bear!

Published by Sylvan Dell, illustrations are accurately rendered, cheerful and very detailed! (As an artist, I’d like a art lesson on the bees please!) Both of my kids pointed to the bees and the bear and asked about pollen. Before you know it, all the little “tree huggers” in your life will be captivated, like a bear to the scent of honey!

Loretta Saladino is a mommy of two active and adorable children, an interior designer, and owner of Rise and Shine Art.

Image courtesy of Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in order to facilitate a review on my website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

By Loretta Saladino

You know your kids get the passion bug when after reading the book Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators, they run to their rooms and convert everything from egg crates and shoes, into little creature beds and use baby socks as blankets. All the medical toys are dug out of the toy cabinet and all the stuffed animals are lined up for check ups. Even our family dog, gets a prescription!

This easy to read and eye opening book provides great insight into the profession of Wildlife Rehabilitators and the impact they have on sick and injured animals of providing food and care for orphaned baby animals. To an amateur, the care and nourishment of a needy wildlife animal may leave you feeling helpless. Lots of love and concern but minimal knowledge of what to do. No need to worry, leave it to the experts. Animal Helpers not only love animals, they can keep animals warm and safe from the elements and prey, feed them, provide similar shelters, rescue them from entrapment, perform operations and much much more.

The Creative Minds activities in the back of the book are very informative and interesting. You are sure to know what to do the next time you happen upon a wild animal that may need a little help from a friend. And thankfully you won’t need to set up a nursery for them in your home, unless of course they are made of 50% cotton/50%polyester and stuffed with Dacron fill!

Enjoy Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators by Jennifer Keats Curtis with Mary Birney, Victoria Campbell, Kim Johnson, Randy Loftus, Miriam Moyer and Kathy Woods. Published by Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Loretta Saladino is a mommy of two active and adorable children, an interior designer, and owner of Rise and Shine Art.

Image courtesy of Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in order to facilitate a review on my website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

By Lysabeth Luansing-Garcia

Garcia family at Raven Hill Orchard.

If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you may have noticed we call our eldest son “Jelo.” No, that’s not his real name. His real name is Julian Angelo. So his nickname is the “J’ from Julian and the “-elo” from Angelo. I know, its cute!

Jelo once heard the news weather refer to the city of Julian. He was instantly curious about the city of Julian. We promised for a long time we’d take him for a visit – and last weekend we finally did!

Auntie Joyce and Uncle Mikey joined us for our trip into the mountains for some apple picking and apple pie!

We started our visit with apple picking at Raven Hill Orchard. For $10 you get a bag to fill with as many apples as you can! There were rows and rows of apple trees that our boys loved to run up and down. They enjoyed finding the “really red” apples and had daddy help pick the best ones that were way high up in the trees.

At the orchard, there was wine tasting from Menghini Winery. For $5 you get to sample 5 wines and get a keepsake wine glass.

We had some lunch and explored downtown Julian where Jelo had fun taking pictures in front of a few “Julian” signs.

We ended our day with a slice of famous Julian apple pie. My favorite is the Apple Caramel Crumble… oh so good!

Another great weekend diversion from the daily routines of the work week! Happy Fall everyone!

Lysabeth Luansing-Garcia is a wife and mom of two. She is a former teacher turned high school counselor who believes in helping young people achieve their dreams. She enjoys traveling, crafting, cooking, and blogging. You can find her at www.garciamemories.com.

By Loretta Saladino

To all the water police out there, I have a confession to make. I have allowed my son to take up to three baths…in one day. Yes I know, it is just not right. My four year old son is a “water baby.” He loves the water, it changes things up, relaxes him and gives him a reason to use his goggles, fill up his measuring cups and squirt water out the window with the turkey baster. So when I told him I wanted to tell him a story about animals that take baths without water, he was really surprised.

“A bath without water, that’s silly!”

So wrapped in a towel and practically turned to a prune, Oliver and I delved into the curious story of Desert Baths by Darcy Pattison with beautifully saturated illustrations by Kathleen Rietz. The first “bath” being a sunbath. Oliver related instantly, as he likes to lay in sun patches that find their way on his big boy bed. Oliver was fixed on the idea that animals want to be clean, and I was pleased when he was able to read some of the clearly written, bold-lettered words.

By the middle of the book, we were both very happy when the animals found a way to get themselves clean. The handsome roadrunner, the nurturing mule deer and resourceful scaled quail. Each page is so beautifully illustrated, feathers and scales and cactus needles wrap each page with magnificent color and visual texture. The book unfolds from sunrise to sunset and well into the night. We felt like we were happening on the javelina during their moonlight bath in the…”thick, cool mud.” It conjured up fun mud puddles ideas for Oliver.

After reading the story we talked about how little water exists in the desert, and how the animals adapted by taking waterless baths. I also told Oliver that we could only take one bath per day so that we could conserve water, because we live in a desert climate too. He was concerned that if he took a bath and then took a mud bath, that he would be dirty. We laughed. I guess two baths would be in order then.

Published by Sylvan Dell Publishing, I would recommend Desert Baths for it’s lesson, for a relaxing story that is lyrical in nature, and for it’s plentiful, colorful and expressive illustrations. There is also a educational resource in the back of the book that is perfect for curious minds.

Loretta Saladino is a mommy of two active and adorable children, an interior designer, and owner of Rise and Shine Art.

Image courtesy of Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in order to facilitate a review on my website. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

By Lauren Boston

All children, from newborns to school-aged kids, thrive on a predictable bedtime routine to help them prepare for sleep.  Comforting rituals and regular timing are a fundamental part of good quality sleep.

For most kids, bedtime should be somewhere between 6:00-8:00pm.  Young babies will be on the early end of that range, and it will gradually get later as they get older.  You should be able to determine their natural bedtime window by watching for their sleepy cues (eye-rubbing, yawning, slowing down during play, glazed or glassy eyes, crankiness).  Once you’ve figured out their perfect bedtime, this should be the time they’re IN bed, not the time you start the routine.

A good bedtime routine should last about 30 minutes (or 45 minutes if a bath is included), and should mostly take place in your child’s bedroom with lowered lights.  These activities should be calm, quiet and relaxing.  Save the wrestling, scary books or TV shows, and tickle fights for earlier in the day!

Here are some ideas for activities you can incorporate into your bedtime routine.

• Bath
• Put on PJ’s
• Swaddle / Sleep Sack
• Brush Teeth
• Go Potty
• Massage
• Read Books
• Sing Lullabies
• Play a Quiet Game
• Share 3 Things About Your Day
• Tell a Story
• Listen to Soothing Music
• Baby or Toddler Yoga
• Bottle or Nursing
• Prayers, Blessings, or Sending Kisses and Love to Others
• Saying Goodnight to Things in the Room
• Turning off Light / Turning on Nightlight

I offer a FREE 15 minute assessment by phone so that clients have a no-obligation way to see if my services are a match for their family. The gentle & proven method I teach does not leave your child alone to “cry-it-out”, and can be applied to all families, regardless of their parenting style.

I can be reached by phone at 858-255-0531, email at [email protected], or you can visit my website at www.laurenboston.com.

As a Certified Gentle Sleep Coach & Postpartum Doula, I have a true passion for all things related to children’s sleep. My own daughter was colicky, and a terrible sleeper. Shortly after I called on the services of a sleep coach I saw dramatic results in my daughter’s sleep, and overall mood. I was convinced I had to share this gift with other tired parents.

Preview image: stock.xchng
Above images: Property of Lauren Boston